A World Cup doesn’t really take off, at least in the eyes of neutral observers, despite the brilliance and dominance shown by the hosts in their first three games, until there are a few tight games or an underdog surprises the favorites.
And on a bright Delhi evening, in front of a sizable crowd cheering them on, Afghanistan—the tournament’s long-desired upset—defeated reigning champions England by 69 runs. Afghanistan has been the feel-good story in international cricket for the previous 15 years.
Afghanistan is frequently praised for having the ability to defeat a strong squad, but up until this point, they hadn’t proven it. They have mystery spinners, which are quite popular in franchise cricket, but 50-over cricket requires some batting experience.
Their batting had always been a weakness, but once they scored 284 runs, their bowling attack’s variety took care of the rest.
Both before the tournament began and on Sunday, they produced a score that Jos Buttler’s men were unable to handle.
The squad experienced a moment of great sadness because recent earthquakes had devastated their nation.
“We have been striving hard for opportunities like this one. I wish to dedicate this honor to my relatives who were impacted by the earthquake back home. At the award ceremony, Mujeeb ur Rahman, the game’s player of the match, remarked, “This is something we as a team and I personally could do.
Although none of his players had loved ones among the earthquake casualties, head coach Jonathan Trott, an ironic former England batsman, had said on the eve of the game that they were concerned about the situation at home and had even donated a portion of their prize money to the relief efforts. Rashid Khan, their biggest celebrity, reportedly pledged the entire sum.
Rashid took the final two wickets to complete the historic triumph, which is unquestionably their biggest in ODIs. When Mark Wood botched an awkward heave to be bowled, Rashid sealed the deal, bringing an end to England’s innings for 215 in 40.3 overs.
The celebrations were very low-key, except from the embraces and handshakes, while Rashid reacted by making a posture resembling that of Shahid Afridi. It demonstrated that the outcome wasn’t entirely unexpected for them and that they think they have what it takes to surprise powerful teams.
The vital wickets were taken by 22-year-old Mujeeb, a second mystery spinner and Rashid’s protege, who claimed the dismissals of top scorer Harry Brook, England’s finest player Joe Root, and all-rounder Chris Woakes, who has the potential to hit significant runs.
Earlier, Mujeeb had scored a crucial 28 runs in just 16 balls to help Afghanistan reach a respectable total.
In terms of England, despite a convincing victory over Bangladesh, they were thrashed by New Zealand in the tournament’s opening match. This defeat will intensify rumors that this is an older team because many of its members took part in the country’s successful 2019 campaign.
